Two by Wyndham

So, one of my favourite authors from my youth is John Wyndham, and I have been trying to re-acquire and, of course, re-read, his novels. Well, Penguin Books seems to have decided to help me out with that, as they have recently re-released a number of Wyndham's classics, and so I've been adding to my collection of Wyndham.

The Chrysalids

A post-apocalyptic dystopia, set hundreds, perhaps thousands of years after a Tribulation, most likely a nuclear world war from the description of the ruined places of the earth and the key plot point of on-going outbreaks of hereditary defects among plans, animals and humans. The novel's strong point is the description of a society that polices its racial purity with extreme and religious vigour, destroying and evidence of genetic deviation among plant and animal life, and exiling (after forced sterilisation) any humans who show signs of being Other than what is prescribed as human.

The story focuses on a group of young people. outwardly completely human, who have developed - and learned to hide - telepathic abilities, and what happens to them once they are no longer able to keep their suspicious gifts a secret. The conclusion is (almost literally) a bit of a deus ex machina, and wraps everything up all too quickly without examining any of the potential problems it poses - but the close look at a society obsessed with keeping itself pure of all taint of the Other - and how those in power use the obsession to their own ends - is worth the read. Also fun is the counterpoint provided by the world-travelling sailor-uncle of the narrator, who has seen through much of the hypocrisy, deception and fear rampant in his own society and the others he has known in his travels.

Trouble with Lichen

Despite the light and breezy tone of this novel, which is often considered one of Wyndham's lesser works, it's actually an interesting novel with a profoundly feminist perspective for something written by a man in 1960.

Diana Brackley is a chemist, at her first job following graduation, when she discovers that her boss, a man she has somewhat of a hero-worshipping infatuation with, is concealing a scientific discovery. Shocked by this, she secretly repeats his discovery, realises that he has found an compund that can significantly increase life span, and decides to do something about it on her own since it seems that he won't.

Her decisions are rooted in the awareness that for women (in this pre-Pill era), life seems require a forced choice between career and motherhood - but that if only women had more time, they could do both, if they wanted too.

There's some wonderful social satire from a feminist point of view in this novel, and it's a quick and pleasant read. At times, Wyndham drops the ball in his understanding of the feminist perspective, but considering the time in which he wrote, I'm certainly not going to rag him for it (sexist metaphors intentional). There are lots of men today who couldn't see some of this as clearly as he did then.